


"drive safely."

by clickingkeyboards



Series: one hundred ways to say 'i love you' [28]
Category: Murder Most Unladylike Series - Robin Stevens
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Phone Calls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21617473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clickingkeyboards/pseuds/clickingkeyboards
Summary: Hazel receives a telegram requesting Daisy's appearance at a retrial for Stephen Bampton.Canon EraWritten for the twenty-eighth prompt in the '100 ways to say "I love you"' prompt list by p0ck3tf0x on Tumblr.
Relationships: Daisy Wells/Hazel Wong
Series: one hundred ways to say 'i love you' [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533164
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	"drive safely."

“I ought to tear up this telegram before Daisy arrives.”

The words are to myself as I sit at my desk in the office in the Wells & Wong Detective Society, my fingers tracing the blocky lettering on thick paper.

In its cradle, the phone rings. I reach over to answer it and the first few seconds are hard breathing before George says, “Hello?”

“Oh! George, what can I do for you?” I ask, setting down the telegram on the desk, grateful for the distraction.

He breathes hard once again before saying, “I’ve just got back from seeing Harold and Bertie. You know, I went out for breakfast with them and Daisy. Harold dragged me aside at the end of the dinner and shoved a telegram in my hands, and told me to dispose of it.”

“Oh.” I pick up the telegram from in front of me. “Does it say STEPHEN BAMPTON RETRIAL STOP EXPECTED TO ATTEND STOP LETTER TO FOLLOW STOP?”

“Yes.” There is a crinkle of George playing with the telegram. “Who is that?”

“He was Bertie’s best friend. In the easter of 1935, he murdered Daisy’s mother’s antiques collector while we were at Fallingford,” I say, the sickly feeling building in my throat.

“Ah.” There’s a long pause and I go to hang up the phone, thinking the conversation is done. It must have made a noise as George says, “Don’t hang up. I’m considering something.”

Several minutes pass before George speaks again. “I don’t think Stephen was to him what you think.”

“What?”

A sigh accompanies what must be him pinching his nose. “They want Bertie to testify. If Bertie testifies to get him  _ more _ jail time, he will drag Bertie down with him.”

“How?”

“If I am not mistaken… he and this boy… it’s not unlike Harold and Bertie. I imagine they were the same way as he and my brother are now.”

I almost drop the phone. “You’re saying-”

“Do me the courtesy of not picturing it,” George says, and I hear his fingers drum against the receiver on his end. “It would be better for her brother to not go at all.”

I pause, my hand working along the edge of my skirt as I think. “They want Daisy to testify too.”

“That’s difficult.” There’s only a second of pause before he says, “I have it!”

“Please say it’s not stupid.”

With a laugh, George replies, “No. Bertie will have to go, there’s no two ways about it. Yourself and Daisy are fine but… I hate to say this, but Bertie is going to have to make it look like he’s with someone.”

He obviously means that Bertie will have to pretend to be in a relationship with a woman… “I am not doing that!”

“Then we have to pray.”

“To what gods, George?”

“Whatever may exist, Hazel.” He sounds as if he’s accepted that something will go drastically wrong.

“Stay on the line?” I ask. “Only until Daisy arrives. I don’t want to be alone with a telegram bearing the name of Stephen Bampton. It is almost as bad as staring into his dull eyes, after his confession.”

“Of course.” He is silent for a moment. “This will cost a terrific fortune. Cost  _ me _ a terrific fortune. Not that I  _ mind _ , of course, Hazel! It’s only that Alex will think this number on our bill quite odd.”

I can’t help but smile. “Who should I pray to for the court meeting to go well? You have your religion, Daisy and Alexander have theirs. I do not have anything. Just the certainty that this retrial will have something go wrong.”

“You don’t have to pray to a  _ god _ . Pray to whoever you want. Pray to Daisy if you like, Hazel dear.”

“Hazel!” Daisy cries out, and I smile to myself, scrubbing at my red and slightly tear-stained face.

“I’ll call you later, George.”

“You too, dear Hazel.”

Daisy walks in. “Right, and to business with your code-breaking and…” She freezes. “Hazel, what’s wrong?”

She drops her handbag and runs over, taking my face in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

I hand her the telegram and hold her wrist as she reads it. “There’s nothing for it, then. I’ll have to go to London.”

“ _ I’ll _ ?” I exclaimed. “Let me come with you!”

“Please don’t come with me,” Daisy says, setting down the telegram and taking my face in her hands. “I don’t want you within a mile of Stephen Bampton, Watson. I hope you understand.”

I do, only I wish that Daisy would listen to me. “I’m going to go and see Bertie, make sure that he’s alright about this.”

“Drive safely,” I say.

“You don’t have to tell me to do that, Watson.”


End file.
